Sleepwalker Showcase: Frank Love

To be a Sleepwalker you really have to go against the grain at times and just throw yourself wholeheartedly into what you’re passionate about! There are a few people that threw themselves into the film industry after graduating from undergrad in the Media Arts Department at the University of South Carolina. I’ve always admired their drive, commitment, and vision in trying to pursue our craft. One of these people is Frank Love.

We had a few classes together in undergrad, but it has always been fun to Facebook surf and see what he’s up to. Every time I come across his profile he’s working on a new movie, working with gear I wish I was working on, and just chasing his dream! He didn’t get to where he is without hard work and sacrifice, and that’s what I really appreciate! Read his story and you’ll see why Frank Love is a Sleepwalker to watch! Yall know the deal by now, so check out his answers.

When did you first start sleepwalking?
When did I start, well I suppose there's no specific date to this, but rather a period in which I really looked at it and then went for it. I moved here to NYC where I live now in Jan '06 during my last semester at SC to do my internship. I was in a short term lease and could have very easily moved back to SC or somewhere after graduating, but rather I decided I'd find a more permanent living situation and after graduating in May '06 came right back here and started looking into how I could work on films. I can sort of equate it to a pool, instead of just up and getting into the deep end, I had the chance to check it out, test the water, really know what was there before jumping in. I got a position as camera intern on a feature in Aug that year an have been working camera in one way or another ever since.

What motivates you to keep going after your dream?
I guess how much I enjoy doing what I'm doing. I have sort of committed myself to do this thing, and every time I get a chance to work on a film, I love the experience. I don't work in an office day in an day out, I can wear clothes I want and not what's according to policy, and I get to go places most people don't sometimes. I got to also see the premiere of a film I worked on at Sundance and got the VIP treatment at the screening and parties, that same film is coming out in Aug and the trailer is out now (Cold Souls). So the finished product feels good to know I was a part of that. Also getting opportunities to do more, like the short I'll be shooting next month on 35mm funded by thedoorpost.com after having shot a finalist film which got us the funding. It's a huge opportunity for me.


Wake up: What have been some of the biggest challenges in going after your dream?
Biggest challenges, money namely. This line of work is freelance, so I don't have a steady income, I often don't know when or where from my next paycheck is coming. So forget budgeting, collecting unemployment comes into play sometimes. Doing my taxes are a nightmare since I have to keep my own records, I have a w-2 or 1099 for every job I work that year, plus I'm taxed a lot since I make good money for how much I work, but since I don't work all the time I'm usually owed it back. Scheduling is a challenge as well, last minute jobs are common, so advance plans aren't easy to make without already having work lined up. A social life is hard for the same reasons plus the long hours that we work, though that's usually compensated by the crew hopefully.

Don’t sleep on this: What’s one thing you have learned in your craft that fellow sleepwalkers shouldn’t sleep on?
What not to sleep on, discerning things you need and things you want and why. Part of why I was able to living here and then work as an intern for a month for free is because I sold my car and lived off that money. No way I could have interned and had a normal job as well at the same time, but without that internship I wouldn't know what I do now or the people I do. Sure you'd want to start with a paying job, but I didn't know enough to be able to get one. Working for free will teach you more usually than going to class where you have to pay anyway. At least for filmmaking and photography, if your goal is to do, to work, then you need to do and work. In whatever way you can, do. I got my camera intern position off craigslist. Past that though it really is who you know, so make good impressions on people, show that you're eager, willing, and competent and that can go a long way. People will remember you and call you back, then you'll meet more people, and so it goes. So I'd say have a financial net when starting allow for at least a month or more without any income, and a back up plan. This may involve something drastic like selling your awesome car, but I don't need a car or even want one in NYC...what are you willing to sell? Do whatever you can to implant yourself into what it is you want to do, and network network network.

Top 5 accomplished sleepwalkers you admire in your craft and why?
1. Andrij Parekh, he shot Cold Souls a well as Half Nelson and more recently released Sugar. He is someone who has a style and approach I admire and has shown his ability and professionalism time and again. After him there are two DP's that picture after picture I can admire what they accomplish, 2. Roger Deacons and 3. Robert Elswit. Deacons has shot countless Oscar nominated films and nearly every Cohen bro's film. Elswit who recently won the Oscar for There Will Be Blood, also shows he takes care in his craft and doesn't cow tow to trend and cliché. Another who follows that school of thought is 4. Wally Pfister, DP on the Dark Knight, being able to shoot a decent chunk of the film in IMAX to put the best image possible on the screen regardless of what challenges that may present. Where some have given in to the HD and 3D trends out there, these guys have made a point of delivering the best product they can.
5. John Bailey. He's another DP who I admire because he has also resisted trends and goes with the science of the craft. He recently stated in an interview how 35mm Anamorphic would come out to about an 8K to 10K equivalent digital file so his eyes tell him. So to do a 2k or 4k DI scan versus optical printing is essentially a waste. He shot 2 entries in Sundance this year, both he shot 35 anamorphic and both were very low budget films.


Just reading his story makes me want to go and sell something to live the dream! lol. We all have to go our own paths, but Frank has definitely found his and is jogging down it!

Michael Jackson Tribute coming

I wouldn't be me without a tribute to Michael! I mean he was the greatest to do it. He paved the way for blacks to get on MTV. He inspired us to chase our dreams, get on the dance floor and have fun, give back to the poor, and just enjoy life. Some of my all time family memories include "doing the Michael Jackson" in the middle of the living room for the rest of the family. But I can't do my tribute correctly right now without some embarrassing video footage that I have to get in order to post. I'll do it for the King of Pop! So don't worry, it's coming.

Sleepwalker Showcase: Justin Boyd

I don’t remember when I met some of my friends. I can tell you the age range or that I was in 3rd grade, 6th grade, 11th grade, etc. but I don’t know the exact date and situation. They’ve just been there since I can remember. You know the type? It’s those friends that usually mean the most or you’ve been through wars with, etc. Well Justin Boyd is one of those friends of mine. I don’t remember when our friendship started, it just is!

We met at church sometime between 8th and 9th grade after he moved down to Carolina. We had our fun as young teens, hanging out, playin’ ball, videogames, sleepovers, etc. but one of our common bonds was music. Whether we were freestyling, playing in the teen band at church, or just listening to it…music was a common thread. He was ridiculous on the drums then, and he still is now. Lately he’s been performing across the US and in the UK. To me, I’ve always called him the Quest Love of our age group…but you can get to know him as Justin Boyd, another Sleepwalker to watch!

Born and raised on the South-Side of Chicago, at the age of eight Justin got his first drumset and was playing in church. He began playing piano, guitar and drums when he was about five years old though. A self-taught musician, Justin was influenced by Gospel music as a youngster. In the late 80's his older cousin turned him on to artist like LL Cool J, Biz Markie, Eric B and Rakim and Das Efx. Throughout his middle school years his parents played a lot of James Brown, Average White Band and Boz Scaggs, the “clean up” music as he calls it. He fell in love with the pocket (get your drum vernacular up! lol) from listening to all those James Brown recordings. In high school he began listening to groups like Rage Against the Machine, Metalica, Dave Matthews Band, Art Blakey and Freddie Hubbard. Basically, Justin has been infused and molded by a variety of musical artists from different genres.

It’s this infusion that has taken his talents across the US and UK, and allowed him to play on stage with Talib Kweli, Robert Randolph, Mr. Lif, Blues Traveler, The Beatnuts, The Perceptionist, Floetry, and the list goes on.

Sleepwalkers Unite posed our 5 “Walk with Me” questions to Justin, and this is what he had to say:

When did you first start sleepwalking?
I started seriously chasing my dream in 2002. After graduating high school I decided to go to college and be around as much music as possible. I was playing drums, interning at WGCI (a local clear channel station) and interning for Dunn Ruff Entertainment. I was really learning a lot during these times from everything I was involved in. I just really wanted to be involved and be the best I could be and have a great understanding of all aspects of music. I was also working a part-time job while doing all this stuff. I was often burnt out and very tired but I learned a lot. I was getting like 4 or 5 hours of sleep some nights so it was like I was sleepwalking literally!

What motivates you to keep going after your dream?
At this point in the game I have had a glimpse of what I have been chasing and right now its about being the best at the roles that I play and be dedicated and focused. Right now it's about getting back to the discipline and hunger that I had back in 2002. What motivates me is that I can look back on what I have done and I realize how confused I was. But I learn so much from being confused that I believe I have the ability to make my dream a reality. Not that I think I can do it because I know it's a blessing from God. But, I have the faith that it can happen.

Wake up: What have been some of the biggest challenges in going after your dream?
A big challenge is waking up and continuing to push things forward and make people see what you see. When you have people depending on you and family that don't understand the passion you can have for something that's not guaranteed and doesn't always pay great it can be rough. Forgiving myself for mistakes that I have made is a big one as well because I can be my own worst critic and enemy.

Don’t sleep on this: What’s one thing you have learned in your craft that fellow sleepwalkers shouldn’t sleep on?
One thing I believe everyone apply in any craft is you never know it all and once your in a place where you know it all that's when someone who is more hungry than you will get to where you want to be because they never stopped learning. Learning is key in Life!!

Top 5 accomplished sleepwalkers you admire in your craft and why?
Wow, I will go backwards from 5 to 1. Since I play drums and make beats my list will be mixed.

5. Chris Dave (drummer), he is very original in innovative in his playing and he plays what he wants to play and doesn't apologize for it.

4. Thomas Pridgen (drummer), he is a great drummer. I had a chance to meet him when he was in Chicago playing for Keysha Cole and now he is the drummer for Mars Volta. He has been a dope drummer forever but it seems like he really made a lot of advances in the past three years.

3. ?uestlove (drummer/producer), he is the leader of one of the best hip hop bands that has been out since like 96. He is influential in live hip-hop and he loves music period. He is also a great producer and has worked with everybody from D' Angelo to Al Green as a producer.

2. Dana Hall (drummer/educator), I had a chance to study with Dana when I went to college. He is very intelligent and he is an amazing jazz drummer. He really has the education game on lock that's really inspirational to see a black drummer who is working on a Doctorate in Ethnomusicology and he can really play.

1. Kanye West (producer/artist), this dude is amazing to me period when it comes to being creative in art period. He is number one on my list because he overcame a lot of things from people not believing in him to his mom passing away. He is not scared to take risk and be himself.

Sleepwalking is hard to do! Justin is trying to maintain his busy schedule between drumming, producing and home life with his beautiful wife and baby boy. He says “The thing I love about music is that if you continue to work at it you will always be better than you were and there is always something new to learn.” With that attitude, I have no doubt that he’ll be blessing the world with his music for a long time. He’s currently available for live studio work, programming and tours.

Contact this Sleepwalker at:
www.myspace.com/thebeatpusha

What am I going to accomplish this summer?

It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you…without a dope blog to bless you! LOL. That was lame, but oh well. I know it’s been a while since my last blog. I’ve been productive though. I started working for the summer at an awesome international non-profit as their video intern! It feels good to get paid for what I love to do, and there are a lot of good people over there.

In the meantime I have been working on scripts…filming the Prince of Cambodia, collabing on a nationwide documentary…you know, small stuff. LOL j/k. I’ve been blessed. Enough about me. Let’s get back to business. Since we are about to turn into the summer months the question has been on my mind: What am I going to accomplish this summer?

I’m hitting that quarter life …not even a crisis…but realization. I’m realizing that life has ups and downs, but you really can steer it where you want to go, or ride in the back to where ever it takes you. So this summer I have made plans to finish at least three scripts and another side project (to remain nameless until the proper time). I’ve got my ducks in a row for the fall and spring semesters as well. Plan and execute. What have you got planned? What are you executing? Start thinking about it if you haven’t already. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and telling you how I’m coming along with my plans.

Kevin

Laundry Anyone?

So the semester has finally come to a close for me, and I’m excited to get a small break. Exams and final paper are never fun, but the end justifies the means!

Last week I was working out on one of those elliptical machines that have a TV on them. (Yes an elliptical, I got knees that I still want to use when I’m older and playing high school soccer didn’t help much.) I was watching Larry King Live and he had comedian Dane Cook on. I don’t know how I started watching it, but I think it was because the caption said “Started doing comedy in a Laundromat”. I listened to Dane describe how he used to go in to the Laundromat and go through routines because the facility provided him with a free audience that couldn’t really go anywhere. He described how he would go in and go through his routine. Sometimes people would laugh, and sometimes they wouldn’t. A lot of times people would just stare at him, but he got the opportunity to practice his craft and eventually got better.

I thought to myself, “that’s interesting”. How many times do I visit the “Laundromat” to perfect my craft? (Not literally, but you know what I mean.) Am I making the most of opportunities, starting out in what may be humble beginnings in order to rise patiently through practice?

I’m sure that performing in the Laundromat was difficult. Think about how your stomach would feel as you sit in the car and watch the people inside. You run through your routine one last time, and then open the door to the breeze outside. Some kind of way you move your legs to get you to the door, and as you open it you know you’re not there for laundry. As you take a deep breath, you look around at the people focused on their clothes. You open your mouth, and start your routine. That may have been a dramatic description, but the point is that it took guts for him to do that and now I’m watching him on Larry King Live.

Chasing your dreams is all about having the guts to go after it. I know I’m building my “no fear” level to do what seems crazy every day. It is great to hear stories of the pay off at the end of the tunnel though! What have you done that took guts for catching your dream as of late?

Sleepwalker Showcase: Lee Peterkin

It was my first year as a Resident Advisor at the University of South Carolina. I had been through the training, and the day arrived for students to come. As students poured in over the course of the day, the night greeted me with my first hall meeting. There were a lot of great guys there, many who I still keep in touch with to this day, but one who stood out was Lee Peterkin. The “American Pie” series was hot at the time, and if you know me…you know I like to dub nicknames for people, and I called Lee “Biggs”. (short for the main character’s real name, Jason Biggs) It was obvious to me that he was a leader from the jump. Maybe it was his charisma, but I watched as many of the guys on the floor were drawn to him. (I’ve noticed all the people I’m showcasing seem to have the “It” factor. I think most Sleepwalkers have the “It” factor in which they are a force that without words is admired or respected.) Although he was a year behind me, we had a couple of classes together and I was able to see his talent and drive for acting and film. (I’ve added one of our student films to this blog.) It’s been seven years since we first met, and Lee is still working hard in the entertainment arena. The writer, actor, director is making things happen and isn’t waiting or asking for hand outs, which makes him a Sleepwalker to watch!

Lee has had an interest in film since as far back as he can remember. Born in Sleepy Hollow, New York, he grew up in one of the film capitals of the US. His interest in film grew enormously with each viewing. He loved everything about it from the cinematography, the stories, to the acting, it was all intriguing. He wanted in, and quickly.

He started out as a small child performing in his first grade class’ version of Aesop’s fable, “The Lion and The Mouse.” By the time he got to middle school he began learning the art of movie making by attending a filmmaking summer camp. After that experience he’d pull friends and family in to create short skits, using the family video camera while continuing performing in school plays and musicals.

Taking his interest to college he enrolled in the film school at the University of South Carolina. There, he majored in Filmmaking and minored in Theater. He made several short films while attending the university, performed in South Carolina’s theater productions, and on TV while residing in the state. If you live in South Carolina, you may have watched a commercial for the South Carolina Education Lottery that he wrote.

After school down south, he returned to NYC and started working as an actor. Since then, Lee has starred in many short independent films, commercials, and has been featured as a day role on the television shows Rescue Me, All My Children, and Damages. For Lee, his work as a Sleepwalker never stops, as he is currently working on a web series called "Stupendous League", writing a feature film, and working as an actor and producer on a feature to be shot in NYC this summer.

Sleepwalkers Unite posed our 5 “Walk with Me” questions to Lee, and this is what he had to say:

When did you first start sleepwalking? (chasing after your dream)
I really started "sleepwalking" way back as far as I can remember. All I know is that ever since I saw my first movies on TV or in the theater I wanted in. My family had no idea how to help, so I really found everything our on my own as I created my path.

What motivates you to keep going after your dream?
What motivates me is my passion to tell stories and deliver messages to an audience. I do this in hopes that my audience will one day be the world. I have always had the desire to reach as many peoples lives as possible and be able to teach them something or bring out something inside of them, whether that is an emotion, a memory, or an argument. I am motivated daily by seeing others succeed, as well as watching others fail. I have a lot of things that I believe in and motion pictures is my medium to expressing myself and give the world a piece of me. I truly feel that making movies is my place on earth.

Wake up: What have been some of the biggest challenges in going after your dream?
My biggest challenges were/are time and money. If I had the money, I could create the time to work on all the projects I have wanted to put together. If you want to know what my biggest challenges growing up were, then I'd say that they were people believing that dreams can't come true. My parents never truly believed that I could achieve my dreams, because that's all they thought they were - dreams. So I had to figure out how to go about it all on my own.

Don’t sleep on this: What’s one thing you have learned in your craft that fellow sleepwalkers shouldn’t sleep on?
Go to where your passion takes you. For me I have found so may opportunities in NYC, where there a lot of people like me who want to do the same things I want to do. This allows all of us to feed off each other and help each other work on our own projects. You can't expect anybody to do the work for you so you really need to find the right people to help you create the work together.

Top 5 accomplished Sleepwalkers you admire in your craft and why?
1. Jon Favreau - wrote, directed and acted his way into success. He wrote and starred in the cult classic "Swingers" beside Vince Vaughn.
2. Matt Damon is another guy who did the same exact thing. Although he started out acting professionally as a kid, he wasn't noticed until "Good Will Hunting" was produced.
3. Lupe Fiasco - His music is inspiring and exciting to listen to. As an art that seems to be dying, rap is an elusive creature that has been tamed by this young prodigy. When I listen to his music my mind wanders and images consume my brain. When that happens a movie is waiting to be born.
4. Paul Rudd - Paul has been actor that I have watched since I saw him in "Clueless" (don't judge, I have seen it). I have always loved his characters and the fact that he had been so successful and stayed under the RADAR, until recently of course.
5. Martin Scorsese - From NY, Scorsese wrote and produced his first films himself and truly made an impact on his own accord. I admire his way of doing what he wanted to do and coming out on top.

Sleepwalking is hard to do! One thing I’ve learned in life is that if you keep working at your craft and opening doors for yourself rather than waiting on them to open, other people will start to notice. With Lee, people are definitely noticing! If you’d like to contact this Sleepwalker, you can find him at the following:

www.leepeterkin.com

Don't Sleep on This: They are Watching!

Now I know as Sleepwalkers we all want to grind. We want to work hard to achieve our goals. Sometimes starting from the ground up with our business and/or dreams makes us feel that we must reach out to people on our social networking sites in whatever way we can…but please, don’t be stupid! The Bible, The Art of War, any gangster movie, they all tell you to watch what you say and that too many words are never a good thing.

Be careful what you say on Twitter, Facebook, and really just in life in general…especially when you have a paper trail. I’ll give you a few articles to read up on, like this one about the boy who got fired from Cisco before he even got the job all because he wanted to express himself on Twitter. He made the mistake of revealing his cards all too soon. Yet, at the same time…maybe he should have been honest with himself from the get go.

If you truly want to build your brand or just your social network online this article is perfect: six reasons why no one likes you online. This was a great informational for me to think about and I’m sure if you’re trying to build a network you will agree. Here's a great article on leaders to learn from on Twitter entitled "The Leadership Playlist".

At the end of the day, I try to remember that if I’m trying to make a dream come true where I have eyes on me, then I need to put my best foot forward. That doesn’t mean I can’t joke with friends online, but that does mean that if a potential client or employer can see me…I’m not going to be as silly as I may be in person. Does that mean be fake or lie? Of course not! Just be wise! There’s a time and a place for everything. I just wanted to share some nuggets I learned, feel free to share some you've learned.

Kevin